October 11, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 230 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian military officials say missile and artillery strikes hit "all designated targets" yesterday in expanded attacks on cities across Ukraine. The expanded strikes, which continue today, are seen as a direct response to explosions that severely damaged a key bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimea region over the weekend. [more]
• The U.N. General Assembly is set to vote this week on a draft resolution condemning Russia for its "illegal so-called referenda" and "attempted illegal annexation" of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine. The General Assembly voted yesterday to reject Russia's call for the vote on the resolution to be a secret ballot. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to emphasize his country's urgent need for air defense systems when he addresses an emergency virtual meeting of Group of Seven leaders later today. [more]

U.S. AIRPORTS | The public websites of several U.S. airports, including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Los Angeles International Airport, and Chicago's O’Hare International and Midway airports, were temporarily unavailable  yesterday following what officials say were coordinated denial-of-service cyberattacks by the pro-Russian hacking group KillNet. No airport or flight operations were affected by the denial-of-service attacks. [more]

SUPREME COURT | The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in the matter of a California animal cruelty law concerning the living conditions of pigs eventually sold as pork in the state. The outcome of the case, National Pork Producers Council v. Ross, is seen as a potentially important ruling on the ability of states to pass laws that have impacts outside their borders. [more]

MEXICO | The Mexican government filed a lawsuit against five U.S. gun shops and distributors in Arizona yesterday, claiming the stores are responsible for significant flow of illegal firearms into Mexico. The move comes only days after a U.S. federal judge dismissed a Mexican lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers. [more]

COVID-19 | A new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that, while recognizing that there are different possible explanations of the origin of COVID-19, the evidence that the virus likely spread naturally in a zoonotic jump from an animal to humans -- and not from a laboratory -- is overwhelming. [more]

IRAN | Reports say the Iranian government continues to escalate its efforts to quell protests across the country that were sparked by the death of a woman who died in police custody after being arrested for violating the country's strict dress code for women in September. [more]

MORE IRAN | Reuters cites a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report as saying that Iran appears to be rapidly expanding its ability to enrich uranium with advanced centrifuges at its underground plant at Natanz. [more]

VENEZUELA | Officials in Venezuela say the death toll from weekend landslides in the city of Las Tejerias has risen to at least 34, and that rescue operations are still underway. [more]

ISRAEL AND LEBANON | Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said today that Israel and Lebanon have reached an agreement demarcating a disputed maritime border between the countries and aimed at opening the way for offshore energy exploration. [more]

JAPAN | After more than two years of strict COVID-19-related entry restrictions, visa-free travel for short-term business and tourism purposes resumes today in Japan. Visitors to Japan must still show proof of vaccination or a recent negative PCR test for coronavirus. [more]

MALAYSIA | Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday that the country's king has consented for parliament to be dissolved, setting the stage for a general election in the coming weeks. [more]

NFL | The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule yesterday -- five games into his third losing season with the team. Secondary coach Steve Wilks will serve as the team's interim head coach. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1899, the South African, or Boer, War began between Great Britain and the two Boer republics—the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. [more history]